You can protect yourself online—that’s the message Amazon and the National Cybersecurity Alliance want to share with millions of consumers through a newly launched cybersecurity awareness campaign. The public service announcement (PSA) campaign, Protect & Connect, stars Prime Video actor Michael B. Jordan and actress-producer Tessa Thompson as internet bodyguards.
As phishing scams and other online cyberattacks become increasingly common, consumers can grow apathetic. In fact, research shows that even as the number of cyberattacks increased, concern around internet security fell between 2019 and 2020. But consumers can take simple steps to help protect themselves and their information online—no security expertise required.
“Empowering people with the knowledge and tools to operate safely online can help them protect their own personal information while combatting cyber threats of all kinds,” said Steve Schmidt, Amazon’s chief security officer. “Our goal is to give people simple, concrete steps to take, like enabling multi-factor authentication, that have meaningful security impact despite the complex security threats that exist.”
Amazon leveraged the creative power of the Prime Video team to conceptualize the PSA and connect with top talent. They brought the message of personal agency to life with the help of Jordan and Thompson.
“The importance of protecting yourself online can’t be overstated. With this PSA, we wanted to create a memorable, informative, and actionable piece of content that will inspire our communities to consider their online safety more carefully,” said Sarah Hamilton, head of Global Brand Creative and Strategy at Prime Video. “Audiences will see celebrated action heroes Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson naturally slip into the role of ‘internet bodyguards,’ sharing simple ways everyone can be safer online.”
In addition to the PSA, the campaign includes a microsite for consumers, protectconnect.com. It includes additional videos for visitors to learn more about multi-factor authentication (MFA) and how to identify and avoid phishing attempts. The site also has interactive content to test consumers’ knowledge on best practices for keeping safe online.
The Amazon Security team contributed their expertise on the most effective ways for consumers to protect their information online, and Amazon’s collaboration with the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) helped ensure that the campaign messages were aligned with best practices for cybersecurity education. The NCA is a nonprofit on a mission to create a more secure, interconnected world through education and awareness efforts that help individuals and organization stay safe online.
“Moving the needle on cybersecurity awareness requires a collective approach. Businesses, nonprofits, and governments all have a role to play in helping to up-level preparedness for cyber threats,” said Lisa Plaggemier, NCA’s executive director. “It’s particularly exciting for a company like Amazon to get involved in this effort, given the company’s exceptional reach and deep understanding of consumer audiences. We’re proud to be a part of this campaign and to share it with our constituents as well.”
The PSA campaign is a follow-up to the commitments that Andy Jassy made at last year’s White House Cyber Summit to help improve the nation’s cybersecurity by offering Cybersecurity Awareness Training free to individuals and businesses around the world and providing free MFA security keys to eligible Amazon Web Services customers.
